Salma Yaqoob, chair of Birmingham Stop the War addressed protestors: “This call to war is Not in Our Name. You bomb other people’s countries, we will not be more safe at home.”

Caroline Lucas MP, leader of the Green Party, stressed: “Bombing doesn’t work,” but complete inaction is not a solution. “We want action, alright. We want to end British arms sales to the Middle East, for a starter.”

Kate Hudson, general secretary of CND, brought crucial perspective to the situation: “No more war lies from our government. We had war lies from the Blair government and Blair was proved to be a war criminal.”

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Many 1000s at the Syria Protest tonight.
Loads of VFP Members present, with two veterans joining on the night.

Andrew Murray, chair of Stop the War, expressed solidarity with British Muslims facing Islamophobia. Murray cited the recent arson attempt on the Finsbury Park Mosque in London and attacks on the Muslim community across Britain.

And George Galloway rallied the crowd as he pointed to Parliament behind him: “We have been right all along and the people in that building have been wrong in their majority. And they’re wrong, wrong, wrong again now. This war must be opposed we’re opposing it and we need those people over there to oppose it too.”

Following the speeches, protestors marched to Labour Party and Tory Party headquarters, demanding MPs vote no to bombing Syria.